1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel inhibitive agent against the activity of .alpha.-amylase or, more particularly, to an inhibitive agent against the activity of .alpha.-amylase with high specificity in the reaction with .alpha.-amylase.
2. Background Information
A serious problem in these days called "an age of gluttony" is that many people suffer from corpulence and an adult disease or geriatric disease as a consequence of corpulence so that dieting or control of food intake is an important means for health control. In the midst of this, dietary fibers, which cannot be absorbed as food, are highlighted and utilized in various aspects. The effect of dietary fibers consists in the control of the absorption of harmful substance including carcinogenic ones and enhancement of the evacuating performance of the intestines rather than positive suppression of corpulence.
.alpha.-Amylase is a kind of digestive enzyme capable of hydrolyzing polysaccharides and is contained in the saliva and pancreatic juice of humans. Accordingly, inhibition of the activity of .alpha.-amylase would hopefully have an effect to prevent corpulence with adequate satisfaction of the appetite and exhibit a therapeutic effect for diabetes. Several inhibitive agents against the activity of .alpha.-amylase have been developed with such an object, although none of them is quite satisfactory in the activity with certain undesirable side effects in some of them.
Accordingly, it is advantageous to develop a novel inhibitive agent against the activity of .alpha.-amylase which can be administered to patients without undesirable side effects against human body.